Zambia - Guillem: "In Zambia I learned to give the right value to things and to complain less"

11 September 2017

(ANS - Mazabuka) - The desire to help and live an experience of solidarity led Guillem Fenollosa Busquets to participate in a volunteer project in Zambia this past summer. A Mechanics student at the Salesian Polytechnic Institute in Sarriá, Spain, Guillem brings back many memories and a new perception of life from this experience.

It was your second time in Zambia, right?

Yes. Of the seven who participated in the project this summer, only another boy and I had already been there last year. I wanted to go back to thank everyone for everything I received last year and to verify on the spot that the project was being implemented.

What project are you talking about?

It's called "Share The Light." It was started by a group of British Salesians with whom we lived in an orphanage for girls in Mazabuka, Zambia, for 15 days. The idea is to make the tough reality that one lives in those parts known.

What was your contribution?

The help that my friends and I gave was basically putting our mechanical knowledge into practice. We worked on the houses and the land, and painted the walls with the tools at our disposal. We also offered some lessons and served breakfast to a group of 31 orphan girls between 12 and 17 years of age.

How was community life?

It went very well. We'd known each other from the previous summer and the girls were happy to see us again. For them, it is the most emotional thing that happens during the year.

I guess you also raise funds.

Yes, during the year with family and friends and through personal contributions. We also organize lotteries, sales of cups and bracelets, and we have also set ourselves up as a nonprofit organization to receive subsidies.

Do you have any projects for the future?

For next year we hope to expand the farm and the vegetable gardens so that the girls have a self-sustaining community.

What did Zambia teach you?

To be aware and give the right value to things. And also that I have no right to complain about many other things.

Will you go again next year?

I would love to, but I don't know if I'll be working and if I'll have time. However, it is important to collaborate and continue to contribute.

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